PointsBet fined $150,000 for Ontario gaming violations

PointsBet Canada has been fined CA$150,000 by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) for violations of internet gaming responsible gambling standards.

The penalty announced Thursday relates to several alleged violations of Ontario’s responsible gambling provisions, including failing to intervene with a problem gambler and failing to enforce cooling-off periods.

“In Ontario, igaming operators have an obligation to proactively monitor their patrons’ play for signs of high-risk gambling, and to take appropriate actions to intervene and reduce the potential for gambling related harms,” said Dr. Karin Schnarr, CEO and Registrar of the AGCO.

“The AGCO will continue to focus on player protection by holding all registered operators to these high standards.”

PointsBet was found to have allowed one player to lose $500,000 in under three months without intervening or communicating with the player.

The AGCO found that the player exhibited obvious signs of problem gambling and was flagged as potentially high-risk by the operator’s systems on multiple occasions, including due to incurring significant losses and making repeated withdrawal cancellations. 

The operator was also found to have communicated gambling inducements and bonuses through direct advertising without active player consent, and to have failed to enforce the required 24-hour cooling-off period when a player cancels their per-day deposit limit.

PointsBet Canada Operations 1 has been served an Order of Monetary Penalty totaling $150,000 for these alleged infractions and is able to appeal.

Shares in PointsBet Holdings Ltd. (ASX:PBH) closed 1.23 per cent lower at AU$0.80 per share in Sydney Friday.